Left unchecked, philanthropy as we know it today will cease to exist within the next 50 years.
That’s the bold claim and cautionary tale that my good friends Brian Crimmins, CEO at Changing Our World and Nathan Chappell, Senior Vice President at DonorSearch make in their new book, Generosity Crisis (out 11/15/2022).
The authors make a strong case for WHY we face a generosity crisis, including:
- Nonprofits treat donors like charitable ATM’s instead of building authentic relationships
- Marketing agencies focus too much time, effort, and money chasing low-dollar, low-engagement relationships with donors
- Generational and demographic changes and the behavioral differences between emerging donors and those that have traditionally supported the nonprofit sector
Of course, neither Chappell nor Crimmins actually believe this will happen, because they and other sector leaders continue to encourage bold innovation and change to help stave off the declines that could eventually result in philanthropy ceasing to exist.
But how do we solve this crisis before it becomes a catastrophe?
These guys are brilliant thinkers, so of course we discussed artificial intelligence and machine learning. And we all agree that AI and machine learning has brought amazing advances and can help nonprofits maintain a competitive edge.
BUT…the real focus for organizations should be to create what the authors refer to as radical connection between your cause and your donors. Today’s technology and the technology of tomorrow can make true 1-to-1 communications with your supporters. But that’s not enough. You also need to focus on the other key aspects of relationship building that can’t be driven by technology. That’s where the need for and importance of human connection and relational investment comes into play.
In our conversation you’ll hear how one organization started to create this radical connection with a simple donor survey and a focused follow-up process.
There’s so much to unpack in this conversation and in their book, Generosity Crisis.
Check out the conversation, and grab this fantastic book today!
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